In the reading, Narrative of the Life by Frederick Douglass, Douglass recalls the experiences of slavery in Maryland. Though many may argue about the lack of severity of Douglass's enslavement compared to others, any enslavement is horrific. In his childhood account, one must show sympathy for Douglass and others like him. Imagine the thought of not knowing your age and having to guess your birthday. The cruelty to slaves like witnessed by Douglass as a slave was so unbearable that he could not even explain in words. We see this in the lines "I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it." Being part of something so terrible allowed for Douglass to be brave enough in teaching himself many things once being introduced to the alphabet by a mistress. From slavery to freedom Douglass's recollection of his masters and their attempts to keep him blacks enslaved created the fire beneath him that would empower him to become the successful abolitionist he became. Douglass's text uses "lion" several times. This is a metaphor for the delegation of power between slaves and masters, blacks and whites. I believe this was to show those who really held power. Douglass was proved himself to be a prime example of this.
---Chanel Merchant----
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this was my favorite out of all the readings by far. Like he says, his life as a slave is not an exceptional one, but it a story nonetheless worth telling. his daring in the face of his masters when he was older shocked me, because in many such instances his story could have ended right there-- he could have been killed for raising his hands against Mr. Covey. Douglass speculated that it was because Mr. Covey did not want to lose his reputation as a hard slaveowner that he did not alert anyone about Douglass. However, Mr. covey could have, if he wanted to, kill him (slaves had been killed for lesser offenes, and owners had been paid for it--recall the "half-cent" statement). Anyhow, that was one of the instances in his narrative that was peculiar to read.
ReplyDeleteone thing that left to be desired, however, was a description of how he escaped, but I understand he didnt in order to protect the identities of those involved.
The part in his narrative that pleased me the most was his esteem towards education. he realized that education was the tool with which he could become equal to and overcome his master. this realization led him to learn how to read (after his mistress was forbidden to teach him)
I love this quote: "This bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge." because it shows what length he was willing to go in order to learn. I have to rant here now ... that students nowadays treat education very lightly; when they come across a difficult teacher/professor they complain about the workload. this is where they fail and Douglass succeeded.- to see education as a tool for the betterment of himself; to use education as a fuel to further noble causes, like justice, like equality.
I find Harriet Jacobs to have all the characterists of a remarkable woman that I truly admire. She is a true feminist that is emotionally, siritually and psychologically independent, and has a strong sense of her self-worth. This helps her greatly as she defies odds to gain her freedom from slavery. She is a strong woman who never seems to lose her self-respect because she wants a normal life. Her courage, as well as her confidence shines through as she talks back to Dr. Flint and never gives in to being his property, even after he slaps her. Her cleverness in tricking him by having an affair with a white lawyer works as she even gains control of her own sexual power.
ReplyDeleteWhat I admire even more so is her devotion to her children. She is not selfish in the least bit as she endures great suffering for them. As she stays in the tiny attic for many years, she has one moment of pleasure of seeing them, This is her sole purpose in life. After all, she had the opportunity to have freedom and go far away which was her life's wish, but her children come first.
This is a major difference of reading about enslavement of males and reading about Jacobs' enslavement. She had to deal with sexual exploitation and other brutalities and still have the future of her children on her mind.
Even though her grandmother is also a strong woman who watches her own son being sold and tries to keep the family together as best that she can, she is still selfish, at times. She is upset at her granddaughter at first for being pregnant after having the affair with Sands. The grandmother would rather have seen her dead rather than be proud of her granddaughter's fight for life. Fortunately, she changes her mind later and accepts her future.
This narrative not only inspires the black women that were held in bondage. It also inspired the white women who were not what we would call free in the 1800's either. After all, what form of equality did the white women in the North have in that time period?.
This narrative not only brings out the harsh reality of slavery of black women but their loyalty to their family which gave them the support that they needed to stay alive.
Eva Rosengarten.
I completely feel you Chanel Merchant, took the words right out of my mouth
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ReplyDeleteChanel, I loved your post. I was also touched when he said, “I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it." I thought those lines were more powerful than him possessing the ability to write exactly how he felt. I don't think it's possible for anyone to write exactly how they feel about a traumatic event they have been through.
ReplyDeleteI find it very difficult to read narratives from slaves. Maybe I'm just an emotional person but it was so depressing to read about his relationship with his mother. What were these slave owners thinking? It's still difficult to understand. How could one mother (white) watch another mother (black) lose her children? I don't understand how they tore families apart, beat slaves, owned slaves, and yet they were able to sleep at night. Ok, maybe I should get over it... It's just depressing to think about.
Another thing that always stands out to me about Frederick Douglass was how sharp he was! One can never forget Frederick Douglass’ means of getting lessons from the little white boys in the streets. I was glad to read that again; it always makes me laugh.
I think Douglass was a very intense and intellectual person. He seemed to be ahead of his times and I find that to be very admirable. When the black community lashed out at him for marrying a white woman (which is completely understandable), he fought back by telling them how hopeful he was for this world to rid itself of prejudice one day; a world free from making “racial distinctions”. I’ve read this before and enjoyed reading it again. He was and still is such an important part of American history.
People always come up with similarities that Frederick Douglass and President Obama share. You can find many articles on their similarities. I had read an article comparing their speeches…
I thought I would share the (kind of? lol) quoting of Douglass in Obama’s speech (prior to election night), that I found interesting, where Obama said, "Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power will concede anything." When fighting for the abolition of slavery, Douglass said, “If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation...want crops without plowing up the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters.... Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will."
I love those lines- want crops without plowing up the ground… What a powerful speaker.
LGregory
This was a powerful narrative. I thought it was weird that Douglass referred to all the white men as “Mr.” as if they were deserving of his respect. He even referred to the cruel hated overseer as “Mr. Severe”! I was happy for Douglass when he went to live with the Aulds. The wife seemed especially kind, and Frederick seemed thrilled. But then she changed; she became mean to him. How does that happen? Apparently she was teaching him the alphabet and her husband warned her that was dangerous, that if slaves were educated, they would become unmanageable and discounted. Mrs. Auld really took her husband’s words to heart and not only never taught Frederick, but prevented him from learning on his own. She became a demon! However, it turns out that this was the best thing that could have happened to Frederick because he realized that education was the “pathway from slavery.” It put a fire in his belly, and later in his life he shared his passion for freedom with all his friends that were slaves. I agree with Chanel that he was the powerful one at the end.
ReplyDeleteMindy Pigue